Individual drive and selector for warping machines



Em 3955 A. J. LUCHANSKY 2328,13

INDIVIDUAL DRIVE AND SELECTOR FOR WARPING MACHINES Filed Sept. 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS Des. 27, 1955 2,728,130

INDIVIDUAL DRIVE AND SELECTOR FOR WARPING MACHINES A. J. LUCHANSKY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 2, 1953 1 it L l DR/VE INVENTOR ATTORN Y5,

United States Patent INDIVIDUAL DRIVE AND SELECTOR FOR WARPING MACHINES Application September 2, 1953, Serial No. 37 8,059

8 Claims. (Cl. 28--39) This invention relates to an individual drive and selector for warping machines, and has for an object to provide an improved and individual drive and control for each of the individual beams of a warping machine, whereby any individual beam may be stopped for any desired reason without interfering with or stopping the operation of any of the other beams of the machine, and thus interfering to a minimum with production.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a portion of a warping machine showing a plurality of beams on which the warp threads are being wound;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, various electrical controls being indicated diagrammatically;

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section and partial elevation of'the drive and control for the individual beams;

Fig. 5 is a partial horizontal section and partial plan view, the section being substantially on line 55 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

This invention is a device for controlling the opera- 'tion of warping machines, specifically a so called hydrowarper, which is used to wind the warp threads which are later used in a loom, to supply the warp threads for the weaving operation. The machine as ordinarily used winds a plurality of beams simultaneously, and all the beams are driven from a common power drive, such, for example, as an electric motor. In the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3, four beams 10 are shown as being driven from a common motor 11, although it will be understood the number of beams may be varied as found desirable. Ordinarily, in a common form of machine as now made, all four beams are driven together from the shaft 12 by individual. chain drives 13 from sprockets 14 on the shaft 12, the shaft 12 being driven by a chain drive 15 from the motor '11. The motor is controlled by an automatic safety device, one for each thread 16 being wound on each beam. The safety device is indicated diagrammatically as a small weight 17 suspended by any suitable means 18 from a thread and associated with an electrical switch 19 in a control circuit for the motor. When the machine is operating properly in winding the threads, tension on the'threads retains the weights 17 suspended above the switches 19, but should a thread break, for example, this weight will drop and open the corresponding'switch and stop the motor, and it will be understood in the old and present type of drive the breaking of any ice one thread will stop the whole machine and winding of all of the beams, and thus stop production on the whole machine until the difiiculty has been corrected and the machine again set in operation. This, of course, holds up production because, even if the trouble is in one beam only, the other beams with which there is no trouble are also held up and production is stopped.

In the present device there is provided a separate and individual control for the drive of each beam so that if there is trouble in one of them and it has to be stopped the others can continue to be operated, thus continuing production of the other beams. In the construction shown there is a table or support 20 beneath which the shaft 12 and the motor 11 are mounted, and on top are the support and driving means 21 for the individual beams 10. Each beam 10 is supported between hollow housings or pillow blocks 22 provided with bearings 23, 24 for the shaft 25, one for each of the beams 10 to be wound. This shaft projects at its ends from the opposite sides of the housing, and on the projection at one end is-mo'unted a flange or disc 26 keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft to rotate with it, and has a projecting center 27 to seat in a recess in the end of the beam 10 to support it. Any suitable type of beammay be used, but the form shown resembles a large spool comprising a center or cylindrical portion 28 on which the thread is wound, the wound thread being indicated at 29, and a flange 30 at each end. On the flange 26 is a driving pin 31 offset from the center 27 to seat in a recess or socket in the end or flange 30 of the beam to rotatethis beam for the winding operation when the shaft 25 and with it the flange 26 is rotated. Each shaft 25 is operated by a sprocket 32 within the housing 22 free to rotate on the shaft and driven by the chain drive 13 from the sprocket 14 on the shaft 12. There is thus an individual drive for each shaft 25 withinthe housing 22. The shaft projection at the other end. is provided with a similar projection 33 seating in the adjacent end of the next beam so that each beam is supported at both ends, or if preferred, this center could be mounted on the housing independently of the shaft. In the present case it is mounted in the projecting end of the shaft and is retractible longitudinally in a socket in the shaft against the spring 34, with its movement limited by a transverse pin 35 in slots 36 in the shaft to permit this center 33 to be retracted for removal of a filled beam and mounting of an empty beam.

The individual control for the drive of each beam is shown more in detail in Figs. 4 to 6. For this purpose the sprocket 32 is provided with a series of holes or sockets 37 entering from. the left side thereof as viewed in Figs. 4 and 5, and arranged in a circle about the axis, and splined on the shaft 25 is a sleeve or block 38 provided with a peripheral groove 39in which run rollers or studs 40 on the arms of a fork 41 supportedand pivoted at 42 on a control lever 43. This lever is mounted in the housing and pivoted at 44 to swing in the horizontal plane. It may also be pivoted at 45 to swing in the vertical plane, or it could be a spring lever to permit its outer free end or hand grip 46 to move in a vertical plane. As shown in Fig. 6, this lever has a vertical offset 47 between the fork 41 and the free end 4-6 merely to raise the free end 46 to substantially the level of the axis of the shaft and make the free and Y46, which forms a hand grip, more accessible. The block or sleeve 38'is splined to the shaft by any suitable means such as a key 48, so that although it will drive thev shaft it can be slid longitudinally on the shaft. On the outer side of the housing is a positioning block- 49 under the projecting end portion 46 of the lever, and-this block is provided with three positioning sockets or openings 50, 51 and 52, each adapted to receive a pin 53 on the under side of the lever as indicated. The free ing and positioning the block or sleeve 38.

Mounted in the housing 22 on the opposite side of the block or sleeve 38 from the sprocket 32 is a pin 54 and leading from the side of the sleeve or block 38 are one or more sockets or openings 55 positioned in a circle about the sleeve 38 to receive the pin 54 under certain conditions as will presently be described. On the side -of the sleeve or block 38 facing the sprocket 32 are mounted a series of pins 56, and these pins are adapted to seat in the series of holes or sockets 37 in the sprocket to form a driving connection between the sprocket and the sleeve.

The operation of the device is as follows: As previously indicated, the grooved sleeve or block 38 may be shifted longitudinally on the shaft 25 by means of the control lever 43 although it is keyed to the shaft. In Figs. 4 and 5, the member 38 is shown in the driving position with the pins 56 carried by it seated in the openings or sockets 37 in the sprocket 32, as shown in full lines Figs. 4 and 5. In this position the lever handle 46 is swung to the right so that its pin 53 is seated in the opening 50 in the locating block 49. In this position the shaft 25 and with it the connected beam is rotated or driven by the sprocket 32 and its chain drive connection to the shaft 12. This is indicated as the drive position.

If the lever handle 46 is swung to the left after first lifting it to lift the pin 43 from the opening 50, and the lever brought to an intermediate or neutral position indicated by the broken lines 46:: in Fig. 5, the lever will be held in this position by the pin 53 seating in the opening 51, and in this position the pins 56 on member 38 are withdrawn from the openings 37 in the sprocket 32 so that there is no driving connection from this sprocket to the member 38 and the shaft. Member 38 is then in the neutral position indicated by broken lines 38a in Figs. 4 and 5. Also the member 38 is free from the pin 54. In other words, the member 38 is in an intermediate or neutral position, and the beam 10 connected therewith is free to turn because the sprocket 32 is free to turn on the shaft, and the pins 56 are removed from the sockets 37. The beam may then be turned by hand for starting a new thread or for any other reason desired. The beam, however, may be locked against turning by shifting the projecting end 46 of the lever to the left to the position indicated by broken lines 46b in Fig. 5. This will shift the member 38 to the left so that the stationary pin 54 in the housing may seat in one of the openings or sockets 55 in the member 38. This is the position indicated by broken lines 38b. This will lock the shaft and connected beam against rotation for any purpose desired, such, for example, to facilitate the starting of a thread on the beam, or if the thread being wound has been broken it will prevent backward rotation of the beam and unwinding of the thread while the thread is being repaired and the mechanism being reset for further operation. In other words, by merely shifting the lever 46 of each individual beam to different positions, that beam may be individually controlled either to be driven from the drive shaft for the driving operation, or it may be disconnected from the drive and left free to be turned by hand for any reason, such, for example, as starting a new thread, or unwinding part of the thread already wound on the beam, or it could be locked in the stationary position for any reason, so it cannot be turned without being released. Thus in this device each individual beam is individually driven from the power shaft 12, and the drive for each individual beam is individually controlled so that any one beam can be stopped at any time without affecting the operation of the other beams, and it not only may be stopped or connected to the drive at any time, but when stopped it may be locked in the stationary position while the operator is performing any operations overcoming any trouble which may have necessitated stopping of the beam.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. In a Warping machine, a plurality of longitudinally spaced pillow block assemblies, a shaft in each assembly provided with means for supporting one end of a beam to be wound, a driving connection from the shaft to the beam, a driven member, control means for connecting the driven member to the shaft for driving it forwardly to winda thread on the beam and disconnecting it therefrom, a drive shaft, means whereby the beam may be locked against backward movement when the driven member is disconnected from the shaft, and an inde pendent driving connection from the drive shaft to the driven member in each assembly.

2. In a warping machine, a plurality of longitudinally spaced pillow block assemblies, a shaft in each assembly provided with means for supporting one end of a beam to be wound, a driving connection from the shaft to the beam, a driven member, control means for the shaft comprising means for connecting the driven member to the shaft for driving the shaft and disconnecting it therefrom to permit stopping of the shaft and means to lock the shaft stationary when so disconnected, means for operating the control means, a drive shaft, and an independent driving connection from the drive shaft to the driven member in each assembly.

3. In a warping machine, a plurality of beams for winding individual threads, a drive shaft, power means for driving the shaft, means controlled by each thread for stopping the power means under abnormal conditions of the thread, an individual driving connection from the drive shaft to each beam, and an individual control for each driving connection including means for connecting each beam to the associated driving connection to drive it forwardly to wind a thread thereon and disconnecting it therefrom independently of the remaining driving connections to the other beams, and means whereby each beam may be locked against backward movement when disconnected from its driving connection.

4. In a warping machine, a plurality of beams for winding individual threads, a drive shaft, power means for driving the shaft, means controlled by each thread for stopping the power means under abnormal conditions of the thread, an individual driving connection from the drive shaft to each beam, and an individual control for each driving connection including a member shiftable to three different positions, means connecting said member to the associated beam, means connecting said member to the driving connection when in one position to drive the beam, means for locking said member against turning when in another position to prevent tuming of the beam, said member when in an intermediate position between the other two being disconnected from both the driving connection and the locking means to permit free rotation of the beam, and means for shifting said member to the said different positions and retaining it therein.

5. In a warping machine, a plurality of longitudinally spaced pillow block assemblies, a shaft in each assembly provided with means for supporting one end of and driving the beam to be wound, a driven member free to turn on the shaft, a member splined to the shaft and shiftable to different longitudinal positions on the shaft, means connecting the shiftable member to the driven member when in one of said positions to drive the beam, means for locking said shiftable member when in another position against turning to hold the beam stationary, said shiftable member when in an intermediate position being disconnected from both the driven member and the locking means to permit free turning of the beam, and means for shifting the shiftable member to said respective positions and retaining it therein. a a

6. In a warping machine, a driving means for individual beams comprising a housing, a shaft mounted in the housing provided with means for supporting one end of and driving a beam to be wound, a driven member, a member having driving connection with the shaft and shiftable to difierent longitudinal positions on the shaft, means connecting said shiftable member to the driven member in one position to drive the beam, means to lock the shiftable member when in another position to prevent turning of the beam, said shiftable member when in an intermediate position being disconnected from both the driven member and the locking means to permit free turning of the beam, and means for shifting the shiftable member to the respective positions and retaining it therein.

7. In a warping machine, a driving means for individual beams comprising a housing, a shaft mounted in the housing provided with means for supporting one end of and driving a beam to be wound, a driven member free to turn on the shaft, a member splined to the shaft to drive the shaft and beam and shiftable longitudinally to different positions on the shaft, cooperating means on said members to connect these members in one position of the shiftable member to drive the shaft and beam, cooperating means on the housing and the shiftable meniber to lock said member against turning when in another position and prevent turning of the beam, said shiftable member when in an intermeditae position being disconnected from both the driven member and the locking means, and means for shifting the shiftable member to the respective positions and retaining it therein.

8. In a warping machine, a driving means for individual beams comprising a housing, a shaft mounted in the housing provided with means for supporting one end of and driving a beam to be wound, a driven member free to turn on the shaft, a member splined to the shaft to drive the shaft and beam and shiftable longitudinally to different positions on the shaft, cooperating pin and socket means on said members to connect them when the shiftable member is in one position, cooperating pin and socket means on the housing and shiftable member to lock this member against turning when in another position, said shiftable member being free from both the driven member and the locking means when in an intermediate position, a lever connected with the shiftable member to shift it to the respective positions, and means for securing the lever in its different positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 630,611 Knapp Aug. 8, 1899 2,644,221 Smith July 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 570,048 Germany Feb. 11, 1933 

